ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the colonies in terms of their political economy which provide an important context for understanding patterns of worker organization, like the prominence of the state and initial dependence on convict labour. Any meaningful analysis of the origins of worker mobilization must examine collective action by all workers, as well as the influence of the state and particularities in that country's capitalist development. Several factors shaped the colonial economy, including heavy initial reliance on convict labour and the prominence of the State in economic activities. Until the 1830s—even longer in Van Diemen’s Land—convicts constituted the bulk of the labour force. The vast majority remained in the colonies. Absolute pardons were rare, travel costs high, family ties were established, and colonial living conditions generally more favourable. The initially tiny free population grew progressively due to convicts completing their sentences, natural population growth and increased immigration.
